11 restaurant marketing ideas to bring in new guests in 2025

1. Prioritize mobile-first marketing

Foundations come first. Remember, 38% of consumers primarily use mobile websites to research and order from restaurants, so any restaurant marketer hoping to level up should start with their mobile experience.

Here are a few places to start:

• Make sure your website and email templates are responsive so they display properly on mobile devices.
• Prioritize mobile marketing channels like organic social media and SMS.
• If your restaurant already has a dedicated app, think through a push notification strategy.
• If your restaurant has a presence on other apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats, make sure your listings and photos are updated with all the essential information.

2. Launch exclusive loyalty programs

29% of diners actively participate in more than one restaurant loyalty program, while 22% participate in just one.

When we asked what matters most to consumers when deciding whether to subscribe to restaurant marketing updates, 37% cited exclusive discounts or promotional offers as the most influential factor. That means there’s a massive opportunity to invest in a loyalty rewards program to convert first-time diners into loyal regulars.

Create a loyalty program that encourages repeat visits. Potential rewards might include:

• A coupon once diners spend a certain amount (i.e., $5 after spending $100)
• A free item after a certain number of visits (i.e., a free 11th coffee after 10 purchases)
• Limited-time buy-one-get-one-free offers
• A free dessert or appetizer for guests who haven’t dined in a while
• A coupon or free item for referring new diners

3. Ramp up reputation management

33% of diners read reviews from other guests when deciding whether to visit a restaurant for the first time, so a healthy customer review pipeline will pay dividends.

Reviews not only help influence new diners—they can also help you monitor overall customer experience trends, so you can flag issues early and understand where you need to improve.

Compass Coffee, which started as a DC-based physical chain but has since launched an additional ecommerce operation, uses Klaviyo to time their review request emails precisely—after an order is delivered. They also use a conditional split to reward reviewers who include photos with auto-generated discount codes (written reviews receive a thank-you note only, along with a reminder to leave a photo next time).

In their first quarter after adopting Klaviyo Reviews, Compass saw a 3.7x QoQ jump in reviews submitted with photos and a 70.5% QoQ increase in total reviews submitted.

4. Send personalized communication and promotions

74% of consumers expect the B2C brands they interact with to provide more personalized experiences in 2025. Restaurants can offer personalization in a number of ways:

• 26% of diners prefer personalized discounts and offers.
• 14% want personalized dining suggestions.
• 13% value location-based recommendations; the same amount prefer recommendations based on prior purchase history.

Start by segmenting your email list based on dining preferences, location, or whatever metric makes the most sense for your business. Then, test personalized communication for one segment, and apply what you learn to the others.

Legal Sea Foods, a restaurant chain on the Eastern Seaboard, also operates an ecommerce platform that delivers prepared and frozen raw goods. In preparation for a major Father’s Day special, Legal Sea Foods created a segment of “reticent customers”—frequent email openers who had never bought, and recipients who hadn’t yet opened—to test how many customers would convert on the sale offer.

Using that information, the team predicted total order volume from the full list to better prepare for the sale. With this approach, Legal Sea Foods generated over $21,000 in revenue with Father’s Day email promotions.

5. Include social proof in marketing campaigns

28% of consumers find new restaurants through social media, both organic posts and influencer content. And 21% use word-of-mouth recommendations. Consumers rely on their peers’ suggestions, making social proof an extremely important part of any restaurant marketing strategy.

Here are a few ideas for using social proof to boost brand awareness:

• Create shareable content around special events, holidays, and even menu changes.
• Encourage user-generated content so potential diners are likely to come across your restaurant in their social media feeds.
• Consider rewarding diners for sharing posts to their social media.

6. Boost brand awareness across channels

With how fragmented consumer attention is these days, it’s important to create a cohesive brand experience across social media channels and your website. 33% of consumers report that their biggest frustration when interacting with a B2C brand in different places is inconsistent pricing and promotions, and 18% cite inconsistent options available for purchase.

Make sure that your restaurant’s brand messaging, marketing, and menu offerings are consistent across channels, especially where your target audience is most likely to engage. Employ an omnichannel marketing strategy to keep up with your guests and stay top of mind.

Stone Brewing, an independent craft beer company, operates multiple taprooms and breweries as well as an online store. Since transitioning to Klaviyo, the brand has been able to do much more with their subscriber list, targeting their audience on their most active channels:

• Email marketing: Stone Brewing launched a welcome flow just for in-person diners that offers a discount on online merch, which drove 62.8% YoY growth in revenue from flows.
• In-person events: The team promotes in-person events to a robust invite list, targeting guests who previously dined at a venue, DTC shoppers who live nearby, and previous event attendees.
• VIP product releases on the website: Stone Brewing sends unique rewards to their segment of ultra-superfans who both visit breweries regularly and engage regularly with email-promoted archival beer drops.

7. Take a load off of your front-of-house teams by using AI and automation

According to our research:

• 43% of consumers expect a response from customer service within 24 hours.
• 22% expect a response within 1 hour.
• 11% expect a response within a mere 30 minutes.

Whether someone ordered takeout and got the wrong items, or someone wants to call ahead to ask about allergens, guest communication can take up a lot of attention from front-of-house team members. At a busy restaurant, it’s simply not possible to manually handle requests super quickly without taking away from day-to-day operations.

Instead, lighten the load on frontline staff by using automated customer service systems, like adding more self-serve options to your website or adopting a reservation tool that allows diners to change their reservations themselves.

8. Lean into values-based marketing content

40% of consumers say that a brand’s values matter more to their purchase decisions than they did last year. Communicate your own brand values and community involvement clearly to your audience and on your website so that diners who share those values know what your brand stands for.

Based on a few of the values consumers care most about in 2025, here are a few examples of how to go about this:

• Commitment to local and/or small businesses: Showcase your efforts to buy from local farmers and suppliers.
• Sustainability practices, like eco-friendly packaging: Use biodegradable takeout containers and utensils, and offer waste bins for recycling and compost in your restaurant.
• Carbon neutrality/zero emissions: Tell your guests what you’re doing to reduce your carbon footprint in a monthly newsletter, like QR code menus instead of paper, efforts to reduce food waste, or energy-efficient lighting.
• Charitable contributions and giving back to the community: Showcase your partnerships with local nonprofits or community organizations on social media, and host events that give back.

9. Invest in local marketing efforts

Speaking of the community: the reality for most restaurants is that the vast majority of your clientele will be locals. 16% of diners discover new restaurants through in-person experiences, so make sure yours has a presence in your community that will enable that discovery.

Here are a few ways to go about it:

• Start by optimizing your profile on platforms like Google and Yelp, where local diners are likely to search based on location.
• Collaborate with other businesses in your community to boost joint awareness.
• Showcase your wares at local food fairs and expos.

10. Dial up data security

The No. 1 value that influences consumers’ decisions to interact with a B2C brand is strong data protection and/or security. In exchange for more personalized experiences, however, diners are willing to share first-party data with restaurants, such as:

• Email address: 24%
• Phone number: 14%
• Purchase history: 13%
• Public feedback and/or reviews: 12%

Invest in your data security measures to ensure that consumer data is safe. This will help you not only build trust with potential subscribers, but also gather the information you need to provide a better, more relevant marketing experience.

11. Proactively gather feedback

In the restaurant business, mistakes are inevitable. Maybe an order gets mixed up, or food comes out cold, or diners are kept waiting because a busy kitchen fell behind.

What separates good from great brands is how they respond to missteps. 27% of consumers will give a brand a second chance after a negative experience if you ask them for feedback or suggestions on how to improve.

Here are a few ways to proactively gather feedback from your restaurant customers:

• Send post-dining surveys via email or SMS using pre-built flows.
• Reach out after a negative review or experience. When you manage your customer data in a B2C CRM, you can create a service ticket to follow up automatically.
• Include QR codes or cards with the check encouraging customers to share their thoughts in a review.